Many connectors used in the electronics industry do not include built-in mechanisms for grounding the metal body of the connector to a printed circuit board (PCB). This is the case, for example, with right-angle connectors such as the well-known right-angle micro-D connector (MIL-DTL-83513/10-15). As shown in FIG. 1, the body of this type of connector typically includes a large plastic region 110 and a relatively small conductive region 108 adjacent to the mating face (102). The task then becomes grounding conductive region 108 to a grounded region on the underlying substrate or PCB.
Methods for grounding such connectors often include placing conductive polymeric pastes or gaskets between the connector body and the PCB. Gaskets used in connection with such methods, however, are usually undesirably thick and require pressure sensitive adhesive to keep them in place. These pressure-sensitive adhesives are known to deteriorate over time. Similarly, conductive pastes used to ground the connector may crack or chip away, leading to the introduction of debris into the system.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide reliable and easy-to-install conductive caskets for establishing a ground path between connectors mounted on PCB boards and the like. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.